Improvement in flood-fence



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Letters Patent No. 88,147, dated March 23, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN FLOOD-FENCE.

The Schedule'reterred to in these vLetters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, ZA'OHARIAH DOWDEN and CHARLES T. ANDERSON, `ofClarksburg, in the 'county of Montgomery, and State of Maryland, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fences; and

we do hereby declare the following to be a full,.clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to 'the accompanying drawing,which is made a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to eld-fences for districts liable to beinundated; and

It consists- First, in anovel and simple arrangement for unlockingthedoodpanels. by the lise of the water.

Secondly, in an improved mode of hinging the iloodpanels, so as to formof them a chain, independent of the posts, to secure them against beingwashed away.

In the drawing- Figure'l isa perspective view of a section of fence,embodying our improvements.

Figure 2 is a transverse section thereof, illustrating the operation ofthe iloodfpanels.

Figure 3 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of one of theclips, of the form used for connecting straight panels of the commonfence. v

Figure 4 is a detached perspective view, illustrating the manner Ofconnecting the dood-panels.

A A may represent the posts, which are preferably of wrought-iron,square, or rectangular, in cross-section, and secured in blocksof stoneor wood, embedded in the ground, as shown.

, B represents the panel, ofthe form employed whereI there is no dangerof inundation, and

B, the form employed in flooded districts, or the flood-panel.

C C*v G20 represent the clips, which are of cast-iron,

and are secured on the postsr-at the proper height, by

means of suitablekeys, or wedges, for the securement of the panels,their form being regulated by the position they are to occupy, and thefunctions they have consequently to possess.

The clip C is that ,employed to connect the common panels, and forms nopart of our present invention. It is cast with apair of lips, c, formingan inwardly-ilaring dovetail-socke't, at each end, for the reception ofthe correspondingly-tenoned ends b, ftwo adjoining panels, B.

.The form Cl (figs-1 and 2)'is that employed to cpunect a common and aflood-panel, as represented in iig. 1, and has the lips or lugs c caston but one'end, the other end, c, beingA perforated, for engagement witha staple, b, on the bottom of a -ood-panel, to formits hinge, and toconnect it to the post.

The form C (ligsl and 2) is that employed to form the upper connectionof a common panel to its post, and to support the end of a dood-panel.It has, consequently, the dovetail-socket c at one end only, and at theOtherat one side, a straight lip, or shoulder, c2, and at the otherside, which is enlargedfor that purpose, a perforation, ci, for thepassage of the locking-bolt of the panel.

The form O3 is that employed to connect the adjoining ends of twoflood-panels. Itis represented only in fig. 4, and has the perforationc, at -each end, for engagement with the staples b of said panels, asrepresented.

For supporting the upper edge of two adjoining flood-panels, anadditional form will be provided, corresponding with 03, having the end,cZ c3, ofthe form p O2, duplicated.v

The central hole, o"r socket ci, for the reception of the post, ispreferably cast with aare, as represented in iig. 3, to adapt the lclipsto be inclined on the postsl as in passing over hills, they being heldat the desired inclination, by driving the keysor Wedges, employed toattach themto the post, and which may be of any suitable form, tighteron one side orthe other. For turning corners, the clips will beoast'gwith their ends at the desired angle.'

D (figs. l and 2) represents a board, or float, hinged to theilood-panel Bl, at a suitable height,l by means of staples, d, andhooks, b, or other suitable hingeconnection, and provided, at each end,`with an arm, d, connected to .the lower end of a vertical-sliding bolt,di, guided by one or more staples, b3, and adapted to project, at itsupper end, through the perforation c3 of a clip, C2, to support thepanel in its vertical position, being held intbis condition by thegravitation of the float D, through its connections d, as repre-.

sented in fig. 1.

The water, in rising, elevates the loose edge of the float D, andcorrespondingly depresses its arms dl, and with them the bolts d2, untilthe upper ends of said bolts are drawn below the surface of the clips C,when the panel, being released, will fall to the position represented bydotted lines'in fig. 2, and the water be 'al- Y lowed to pass over it.

Care should betaken, in building this portion of the fence, to have theshoulder ci, of the clips C, on the side from which the flood comes,when there is any marked current, to facilitate the operation of thepanels; also, to have the oatD on the Opposite side, as represented.

Having thus described oui-invention, the following is what we claim asnew therein, and desire" to secure by Letters Patent:

.. l. We claim, in combination with thc hinged flood- 'pael Bl; and theclips Ci, c2, c", or their equivalent,

the hinged neat D, alms d1 d', and sliding 10er-bolts d2 d2, arrangedand adapted to operate substantially as represented and described, forthe purpose specified.

2. We claim-the clips or connections O" C3, constructed with theperforated ends c, as represented and described, in combinationwith oneor more doodpanels Blrsubstantially as and for the purposes set forth.

ZAOHARIAH DOWDEN.

CHARLES T. ANDERSON.

Witnesses:

JOHN BAKER, W. W. DRONENBUBG.

